


exo x male reader

by bleedblackblood (jVnKy30MkVn)



Series: kpop x male reader [16]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Shy Byun Baekhyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jVnKy30MkVn/pseuds/bleedblackblood
Summary: a collection of 'exo with a male reader' oneshots from my tumblr boyfrvmthemoon
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Reader
Series: kpop x male reader [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010256
Kudos: 4





	exo x male reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> synopsis: From work to home, and the supermarket once a week; with a lone friend to boast of and a non-existent social life, timid and anxious Baekhyun is urged into the dating pool by his freshly married and lovesick co-worker Yixing. Multiple attempts are made, all regrettably ending in failure, but what's the saying? Maybe the sixth time's the charm.
> 
> note: inspired by this mf's cute self in his mv for get you alone but it ended up being a horrendous disappointment lol nonetheless i'm here to toss it into the void and forget it exists
> 
> p.s. i promise to get back to requests soon forgive me plz /:

Baekhyun had learnt after the fifth time to never leave the house thinking, _'What could go wrong?'_ because － seemingly － the rhetorical question only invited disaster to loom over him and systemically make everything that could possibly go awry, do so.

On his first date in ten years, his nice dress shirt lost its collar button, the back of his trousers got stained by whatever muck there had been on the park bench he'd sat on, and the laces of his shoes kept coming undone, making the woman he'd been attempting to impress grimace at his sloppy tries of feigning nonchalance at his every stumble.

His second date didn't go much better, what with the abrupt change in weather, the bus running in delay and the food at the restaurant being stale, whilst it could be said that the third had never happened at all, seeing as how the guy he'd been set to meet never showed up. He'd been left to wait for nearly two hours, receiving pitiful stares from waiters that he'd swiftly avoid by looking at the ends of his jumper's sleeves at which his fingers picked.

The fourth was possibly the one that dealt the hardest blow, then that he thought of it whilst proceeding with his anxious pacing in the living room, for he had done his absolute best for it to be perfect and though he'd blurted every response he'd uttered and let awkward silences fill in the rest of his time with the other, he'd had relatively high hopes seeing as how he managed to not make an absolute fool of himself for the hour and a half they'd spent together.

And yet, it all came to a sputtering end with a single statement Baekhyun had etched into his brain since his teen years.

"You're just . . . not my type?"

His soft features dotted with confusion, his lashes flapped like those of a panicked bird behind his glasses' lenses, and he subconciously leaned closer to the man, hands interlocked, on his lap that quivered with his bouncing legs, and squeezed so strongly that they'd begun to blotch red and white around his knuckles and nails.

"Wha-What － Why's － I can fix how I look, if － if that's the issue," His sight flickered to the half-eaten plate of food before him, a sting behind his eyes that riddled his being with self-resentment, "I can － I can wear contacts and buy cuh－cooler clothes and －"

"That's not the issue."

Led dropped down his throat and into his stomach, settling in and weighing him to the ground, bringing his already hunched shoulders to curve further, as though physically portraying his earnest desire to disappear.

He knew it wasn't the issue. Fuck, of course he knew it wasn't, but he'd really hoped for things to be different, just once.

"It's not your fault. Maybe my friend got it wrong because I said I'm into the cute, shy type, but this －" The man vaguely gestured in Baekhyun's direction, grimacing at the way the younger flinched at the action and quickly recoiling his hand, "this is a bit － too much. We can't seem to have a proper conversation, I can hardly even hear your voice when you talk. It's just . . . uncomfortable. I'm sure you'll find someone who'll like you though."

The conclusive statement sounded rushed and fake to both their ears, but Baekhyun appreciated the weak attempt at sugarcoating that his date made and instead nodded, keeping his chin tucked to his chest and sight strained on the table. There was a beat of silence, then shuffling and money was slipped just slightly under the man's plate.

Baekhyun blinked up purely to catch a glimpse of it and hurried to look away.

His chair scraping against the floor tiles made the brunet's vision blur, the soft clap on his shoulders made him shake, and the words of parting made the first tear of many leak from the faucets so cruelly built into his face.

"I'm paying," The man spoke quietly, a semblance of what he thought was a comforting smile on his lips, though Baekhyun refused to part his jaw from his neck to even take note of it, "Hope you find your right one soon, buddy."

_I hoped it had been you._

Baekhyun remained silent － just as he had ironically been for the majority of their failed date, he bitterly let cross his mind － until the man understood there would be no reply and left with a heave of a breath, distinctly one of somewhat relief.

And Baekhyun, a grown man of twenty-eight, cried like a young woman in some daytime soap opera that aired on a television channel notorious for low-quality productions, at the corner table of a quiant café, with soft indie tracks playing through the warm air that stung at his skin like repeated attacks of a multitude of wasps.

Perhaps it was the magnitude of the embarrassment he was subjected to once he'd recollected himself and come to notice that both the barista and server were muttering to each other between tightly pulled lips and taking stealthy glances his way, when his face still dripped with salt water, his nose could barely function and his skin was undoubtedly an ugly, uneven canvas of temporary cherry bruises － or maybe it was the intense pain, anger and self-loathing that followed and stretched on for months afterwards, but Baekhyun truly began to believe that he was simply unlovable.

His co-worker at the office, the same one who'd set him up with his most recent catastrophe of a date, pestered him for details, asking what exactly happened and where things went wrong, prior to giving Baekhyun a couple claps to the back and an encouraging rub to his arms.

"Don't you worry, I'll find you another potential love, Hyunnie!"

Baekhyun mutedly endured the obnoxious presence of his colleague with a stiff nod, merely waiting for some time alone so that he could focus on work and stop thinking about anything unrelated to it. He wasn't entirely sure why the taller, Yixing, was so invested in finding him a partner, but there had been a sharp increase in interest after the former had gotten married, so Baekhyun was quite certain the two were somehow correlated.

Nonetheless, before the man could refocus on the documents and open programmes glaring at him from their computer screens, Baekhyun made the infernal effort to mutter, "Just give me some time, please."

Whether his request hadn't been heard or had been and went unheeded, he couldn't discern, seeing as how Yixing took no more than a month to find him another possible partner － Baekhyun's now fifth date in ten years, to be specific － and Baekhyun wanted to cry.

He knew it wouldn't end well, no matter how much the Chinese man tried to convince him otherwise and boost his confidence. And even if he'd made it to the actual day of the date, the moment Yixing asked him by his front door, with a luminous grin and happy eyes, "What could go wrong?" Baekhyun retreated, because _everything_ could go wrong, from him losing his wallet to him choking on a bite of food and possibly dying whilst looking like a complete idiot.

No, Baekhyun decided it was best to give up, hide away, at least for a little while longer. Fortunately, Yixing was understanding, supportive even, apologizing for having been too forceful and doing his utmost to distract the younger male with anything he could think of instead. All in all, Baekhyun was grateful that even if he only had one friend, it was outgoing, hardworking and terribly lovesick Yixing.

It had been more a tentative suggestion than merely sprung upon him as in the past, the next time Yixing brought up a nice guy one of his husband's friends knew, and though it had been seven months since the nightmarish incident, Baekhyun still squirmed uncomfortably at the mention of the topic.

"Hey hey," Yixing quickly began, taking notice of the smaller's change in demeanor, "don't give up before you even try."

Baekhyun let out a dry sigh, cheek squishing upwards as he rested the side of his face against his knuckles.

"I'm not, I've already tried a lot of times and failed. I －" He took a furtive peek at Yixing's sympathetic gaze, "I don't see how this time will be any better. I'm still . . . me, and nobody likes me."

At the statement, Yixing huffed, dramatically leaning his weight against the edge of the cubicle's built-in desk and crossing his arms over his chest.

"The problem is that your first dates aren't able to see the real you because you need time to warm up to people. If they'd give you a couple weeks or something they'd discover what a catch you are. I mean, shit didn't it take you two months of me constantly clinging to you for your replies to be more than nods or two words?"

Baekhyun belatedly hummed. Looking back on when they'd both joined the company four years ago, he could clearly recall himself evading all interaction and Yixing stubbornly following him around regardless, chattering on.

"Anyway, we just have to snag that second date with this guy and we _will,_ " Yixing went on with a confidence Baekhyun only dreamed of possessing, "You know why? Because I'm going to train you."

A pause to process and then the brunet was openly wearing an expression of befuddlement.

"Train me?"

"Yeah! I'll give you pointers on how to behave and help you pick your outfit too. [Y/N] will definitely fall for you, I guarantee."

Doing his best to ignore the rapid beating of his heart, Baekhyun returned his attention to his computer. [Y/N] must be the name of his date, and now that he came to know it, everything felt more real. Anxiety began to simmer beneath his skin where it would reside and progressively get worse for the weeks leading up to the fixed day, but Baekhyun did his best to not overthink.

Yixing had kindly made him a list of tips to keep in mind on his first date which the brunet had stuck to his fridge with a painted ceramic peach magnet － so that every morning he would look it over and memorise the minimal information it had － and typed out on the memo app of his phone, so that he could feel a sense of security when he began to doubt the entire situation's success.

_Step one: Smile! Everyone loves to feel as though you're happy to be with them so don't be stingy with showing your pearly whites :D_

"My smile's weird though," Baekhyun mumbled under his breath upon skimming through the note for the first time, eyes squinted.

_Step two: Straighten that back and puff out your chest (not too much obviously or you'll look weird). Try not to look like you constantly want to escape!!_

He automatically adjusted his posture in his kitchen chair, his shoulders popping as he rolled them back.

_Step three: Don't be too distant! If he tries cracking jokes, laugh, if he tries to get closer to you, don't move away! (unless he tries something funny in which case give him a solid punch)_

_Step four: Going off of step three, here's a list of conversation topics!_

Baekhyun read through them repeatedly, mentally jotting notes on what could be said for each and how he could ease into them.

_Step five: Also another list but here are some questions to ask and questions NOT to ask!_

_And finally, don't think too much!!!_

Whilst Baekhyun could memorise the first handful of points, he wasn't too sure he could follow through with the sixth. Nonetheless, he practiced almost daily his smile in the bathroom mirror after a shower and before going to bed, he readjusted his posture when he took note of himself slouching and attempted perfecting a laugh that didn't reek of feigned amusement and discomfort.

By the time the Saturday of his date rolled about, Baekhyun felt about 60% percent prepared, 10% afraid and 30% ready to give up on the whole thing.

"Good luck, Baek! You'll be fine!" Yixing had cheered through the man's phone speaker, and Baekhyun couldn't block the semi-bitter thought that the former could only say that because he'd already found a steady partner and was living an ideal romantic life.

Regardless, Baekhyun had trained for this and dressed in the outfit Yixing chose for him － a black pair of jeans paired with a rust-coloured, woolly sweater with a white button-up shirt underneath and a peacoat that matched his bottoms in shade to go over the latter two － and he almost believed he looked decent; even if hesitant about still wearing his somewhat thick-framed glasses.

"I should put in contacts, right?" He'd asked Yixing, with a large stuffed animal in his embrace and the weight of his head set between the plush ears, as the man continued to instruct him on what to wear via video call, "I － I mean, I look a bit like a boring loser with them, don't I?"

Yixing scoffed.

"Are you kidding? They frame your face perfectly! Besides, you look like a _cute_ loser with them, and that's a big difference."

Baekhyun wasn't sure whether it was, but what he did know was that he'd come too far to back down. He'd walked from the bus terminal to the seaside bookstore he was meant to meet [Y/N] in front of and remained stiffly standing at its doorstep, waiting for the other's arrival.

Even if he himself was early, which the rational part of his brain used to reason out the fact that his date wasn't there yet, he couldn't help but panic that he'd been left hanging just as the time prior.

The late November breeze was a brisk one, laden with the scent of seasalt and the aroma of deep fried food from stalls that dotted the panoramic street, and Baekhyun blinked unseeingly at the distant waves as his mind began to drift off into a storm of concerns.

"Byun Baekhyun?"

He jumped in his spot, hands pulling from within his coat pockets to instead act as a defensive barrier between him and the surpise presence of the other.

It took him a moment to comprehend what he'd just done and another for abashment to douse his entire being. He could feel every inch of his skin go up in flames as he tentatively lowered his self-made shield and met eyes with the taller stranger.

His lips parted to speak but no sound left them, restricting his reply to a sharp nod and a grimace of a smile.

He would have thought things were already going downhill had it not been for the way his date's head tilted and a seemingly amused smile crossed his mouth, something which had his heart missing a beat.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm [L/N] [Y/N]."

Baekhyun nodded again.

Not even a minute in and he was already violating two of the tips Yixing had given him: not to be too distant and not to make it look like wanted to runaway － he was pretty sure he looked like he wanted to, honestly.

Despite all that, however, [Y/N]'s smile only grew more fixed.

"You're very handsome," He complimented with ease, and Baekhyun almost choked on air, his sight gluing itself to the ground as he forced himself to swallow.

"You － You too."

There came a beat of silence, one that Baekhyun feared would be the first of many and ultimately lead to another muted date, but [Y/N] didn't appear deterred, instead nudging his nose in direction of the pavement and speaking.

"How about a short walk before we settle down to eat? Or are you feeling too cold?"

Baekhyun fervently shook his head, tucking his hands back into their safe, warm pockets before muttering, "No, I'm fine," peering up at the man through his lashes and the thickness of his lenses.

[Y/N] hummed, his focus never leaving the brunet's face, a fact that had the latter's stomach doing somersaults.

They began walking then, Baekhyun desperately trying to recall all the conversation starters and suggestions on questions to ask whilst [Y/N] carried an idle chat primarily on his own, talking about nothing in particular and occassionally throwing a question Baekhyun's way. The shorter did his best to reply verbally, even slip in a fumbled, "Wha－What about you?" at the end.

Things were going fairly well, though Baekhyun refused to get his hopes up. Until then, every silence that did briefly greet them didn't feel suffocating and every misstep Baekhyun's dragging feet made on the unevenly layed bricks only made [Y/N] chuckle under his breath and subsequently suggest they lock arms.

Baekhyun was certain he was about the colour of the sun when they did.

Only when they stood with their shoulders brushing and their elbows nudging did he realise that he was decently smaller than [Y/N] － not to much of his surprise, truthfully － but whilst he typically felt patronised or ridiculed by those bigger and more confident than him, he felt strangely at ease under [Y/N]'s stare. The man's eyes held no judgement or frustration, and even if Baekhyun feared that would change, it didn't.

The wind that pushed against them didn't feel as cold with [Y/N] at his side and so Baekhyun subconsciously clung nearer to him, happily listening to him talking over the sound of the scant cars that passed and the few people they crossed paths with along the way. It had taken him a while to even notice, but he hadn't felt pressured to speak or anxious since they'd begun their date, and it was such a new experience that it had him feeling ridiculously giddy.

Through the fog of his joy he abruptly heard [Y/N]'s words dissipate into the night air and dared a look at the former, blinking in rising confusion at the stare that met his.

"You must've heard this before but your smile is the prettiest thing."

Had he been smiling? The habitual action of covering his mouth very nearly forced his free hand to do so, but he managed to avoid making a fool of himself by looking at the pavement ahead instead.

"It's kind of awkward, isn't it? I － I mean, I'm all awkward but it's . . . "

"I don't think it's a bad thing," [Y/N] intervened when Baekhyun had let his words hang in the air, "we just need to get more comfortable around each other. And, for the record, I enjoy seeing you blush every time I look at you."

Baekhyun couldn't stop himself then, his right hand going to pat at his cheeks for confirmation only to feel the heat they radiated at his fingertips. He wasn't sure what expression he'd made, but it had [Y/N] laughing and the sound alone had an excited school of little fish swim around in his stomach.

"Come on, let's grab something to eat."

Though he'd failed steps two to five, Baekhyun had come to realise by the end of the night that both steps one and six weren't too difficult after all.


End file.
